Will the Office of the Future Be Different? I Doubt It

They can build bubbles and new schedules, but some old habits are likely to return

From a coffee shop delivery train in New Zealand to plastic partitions at eateries in Thailand, different countries are finding ways to help the public maintain social distancing measures as restrictions begin to ease. Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP

By

Jason Gay

I keep reading that because of this crisis, the office of the future will be different, that we are all going to have to show up every other day, sit in enclosed space bubbles, eat lunch alone and ride elevators by ourselves. Stop me when any of this sounds bad. The office of the future sounds pretty much like heaven. Show up every other day? An elevator all to myself? That has been my dream for decades. Granted, I may have to wait in a two-hour line to ride it, but still…Worth it!